The Beast Within
by MiraculousCatNoir
Summary: When Adrien's father goes too far in a fight and breaks his ring, Adrien will find out a secret that Plagg has been keeping from him, the dark truth about the cat miraculous. *I do not own Miraculous Ladybug*
1. The Ring

Adrien's POV

"I am so late!" I exclaim as I rush to Collège Françoise Dupont, my shoes scuffing against the concrete as I pick up speed.

My father had scheduled an early photo shoot before school in the park. However, the photographer had thrown some of his equipment in frustration when none of the photos were meeting his standards. It was partially my fault, having not gotten enough sleep the night before. He was then akumatized, and Ladybug and Chat Noir had to take care of the superpowered SharpShot. The thing is, I'm Chat Noir, so I had to sneak away to transform.

I had let Ladybug know that the akuma was in SharpShot's camera, and we quickly took care of the akuma. However, the photographer is almost as stubborn as my father. Because he was akumatized before getting any decent shots, I had to stay longer than usual to finish the photo shoot instead of just having it rescheduled for a later date.

All of this leads me to being almost two hours late, sprinting through the streets of Paris trying to avoid running into others as I make my way to school.

"Why don't you just skip the rest of the day? It's not like you actually learn anything useful in school anyways." Plagg, my cat kwami that allows me to turn into Chat, said to me as he poked his head out of the inside pocket of my overshirt.

"If I skip school, I'll get in trouble. I'm already on thin ice with all of the other classes I've missed. And I can't tell him it's because I'm fighting supervillains created by a madman to destroy me and Ladybug! Then he'll never let me go outside again! Now will you get back inside before someone sees you!?" I try to explain.

"I don't understand you humans. Why would you even want to go to school?" Plagg huffs before ducking back into his hiding spot as I make it to the front steps of the school.

It's more than just going to school. If I'm not allowed to go to school, I also won't be able to see any of the friends I've made. Plagg's a loner, so he just doesn't understand.

I'm out of breath and sweating profusely by the time I make it to the door of my classroom. I take a moment to catch my breath and slightly fix my appearance (I am a model after all).

"I hope I won't be in too much trouble."

Marinette's POV

"…tte. …inette. Marinette!"

I'm shaken out of my thoughts when I finally hear someone whispering my name. I look away from Adrien, or where he should be sitting, to face Alya with a questioning look.

"You've been staring at Adrien's seat for the past twenty minutes. Have you even been paying attention?" Alya said.

"Um… no. Haha…" I laugh, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. The truth is, I'm worried about Adrien. I learned that his photographer was akumatized this morning during a photo shoot. The only reason I know this, aside from the fact my best friend runs the Ladyblog, is that I'm the superhero Ladybug. By the time I had transformed and met up with Chat at the park, Adrien was nowhere to be seen. He may have run to safety, but I didn't see him after the incident either.

I know that my Lucky Charm fixes the damages after I purify an akuma, but I don't know if it heals people. What if Adrien had gotten hurt and my Lucky charm didn't heal him? What if he was injured and alone, unable to get help!? What if…

Before my thoughts could cause me to panic in front of everyone, Adrien burst through the door and walked into class. His face looked slightly red from exertion and his skin was slightly glistening from drying sweat. I blushed seeing him like this.

"Mr. Agreste, you're late! What have you got to say for yourself?" Madame Bustier questioned.

Adrien gave a sheepish look as he walked to his desk.

"I'm sorry. I had a photo shoot when the photographer was akumatized." He explained.

"Well, I hope that you're alright. But please, if you are stalled by an akuma again, please try not to disrupt the class when you come in." Madame Bustier said kindly.

"Yes Madame." Adrien said.

As Madame Bustier turned around to continue the lesson, Adrien and Nino fist-bumped each other in greeting.

Alya tapped on Adrien's shoulder, causing him to turn around and look at us.

"Glad you're still in one piece." Alya said with a smirk, but with relief mixing in with her teasing voice. Adrien smiled in response.

"Me too." He said. He then turned towards me and gave me a friendly wave before facing forward and grabbing his notes and books from his bag.

With that little encounter, mixed with my relief that Adrien wasn't hurt, I had trouble paying attention for the rest of the class. I couldn't hep but admire how handsome he looked, even after running all the way from the park.

Adrien's POV

The final bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. Everyone hurried to pack up their bags and head home, not wanting to spend any more time at school than needed. Nino and I walked out of school together, but as we were making our way down the steps, we heard a shrill voice call out above the rest of the students' chatter. And it was heading our way.

"ADRIKIIIINNNNSSSS!" I was rammed into from behind, Nino catching my arm so that I wouldn't fall down the rest of the stairs. I had to forcefully hold in a groan of pain and annoyance, knowing only one person who calls me that, and would crash into me without considering if I would fall down the stairs.

"Hey Chloe." I say as I turn around, trying to politely remove her arms from around my neck and move her out of my personal space. It took a little bit of effort, this girl is surprisingly strong. It wasn't helping that she was pushing against the bruises I acquired during the akuma attack. Thank goodness no one noticed them.

"Oh, I was _so_ worried when you didn't show up at the beginning of school. I was about to call my daddy and ask him to start a search party to find you. I'm glad that you're alright, though." She said with a sickeningly sweet tone of voice, with a similar smile to match.

"I'm sorry to have worried you. But, um… I have to go now. Bye Chloe." I say as I'm finally able to remove her arms.

She pouts for a second before her smile comes back.

"Okay! See you tomorrow Adrikins!" She exclaims before she tries to give me a kiss. I have to move my head slightly so that her lips meet my cheek instead of locking with my own lips. We may have known each other since we were kids, but I don't feel that way towards her.

My obvious denial towards her doesn't deter her as she smiles and waves at me before skipping away, Sabrina running close behind her.

As I watch Chloe leave, I notice the limo that picks me up after school every day, with Nathalie standing outside the door with a grim face.

This... cannot be good.

Nino, noticing my slightly nervous look, turns to see what I'm looking at. He also notices Nathalie. He puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry. It might not be that bad." He said.

I try to smile at him, but I think it becomes more of a grimace. Nino wishes me luck before we part ways.

As I make my way towards the limo, my bodyguard, who I call Gorilla, steps out and makes his way to the other side to open the door for me. Nathalie's eyes follow me the entire way until I'm about to get in.

"Your father is waiting for you at home. He wishes to have a word with you." She says, staring at her tablet.

This isn't good.

-Time Skip-

With Nathalie constantly checking her tablet and the Gorilla being, well, the Gorilla, the entire car ride was silently. I tried to distract myself by going on my phone, but my mind kept wandering to what my father could want to talk about.

Ever since the incident with "Simon Says", my father has started to pay a little bit more attention to me. Not a lot, but it's a considerable difference than before. However, he's also been acting strange and would stare at me when he thought no one was looking. More specifically, he's been staring at my ring, the one that allows me to transform into Chat Noir.

Does that mean that he wants to talk about the ring? What if he's figured out that I'm Chat Noir!? If he did, he'd never let me out of the house again!

As I'm having my internal meltdown, the limo pulls up to the front gates of my house. Other's would consider it more of a mansion, but it just seems wrong to call it that.

As we start to roll up the long driveway, I notice my father is standing on the front steps, exhibiting perfect posture as always. I silently gulp in apprehension when I see the stern look on his face.

I've barely stepped out of the limo when I hear him call to me.

"Adrien, follow me. We need to talk."

My palms become sweaty with nerves. I discreetly wipe my hands off on my jeans and grab my school bag from the back seat. I walk up the front steps and into the front hall, following my father into the dining area. I don't even dare thinking of making him wait to long, fearing that I might upset him even more than he is now, still not knowing what it is that has upset him.

I feel a slight movement in my overshirt. I just now remember Plagg is with me and can probably feel how fast my heart is beating. I put my hand over the spot I know Plagg is and feel his presence. Even though I know he can't do much in this situation, knowing he's there gives me a little more strength.

As I walk into the dining hall, my father motions for me to sit in one of the many chairs. I slightly hesitate before sitting, looking to my father with a questioning look.

He just stared at me for what felt like an eternity, but was actually only a few seconds, before he took a breath and started speaking.

"It has recently come to my attention that you have been coming late and even skipping a fair amount of your classes."

So, he's finally noticing this. I shrink slightly in my seat before quickly fixing my posture. I try to quickly think of an excuse, not willing to tell him the real reason why I have to miss some of my classes.

"It's, uh… b-because some of my photo shoots go later than expected or are rescheduled for when I have class." I silently curse myself for stuttering at the beginning, but I have to pat myself on the back for coming up with the excuse as quickly as I did.

My father just continues to stare at me. I shift uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling like I need to continue.

"So, you see…"

"Enough!" My father yells. I wince, never having had father raise his voice at me before.

"You have been missing more school than what I have calculated for your photo shoots, even adding in the possibilities of them running late. I have also been informed that you have, on occasion, left in the middle of some of your shoots and only show up again hours later. There have even been times when you never even attend your shoots."

My gaze falls, knowing there was no way for me to lie through all of that. Father doesn't seem to notice as he continues.

"Along with your unexplainable absences, you have failed to turn in or complete several assignments, and it is beginning to severely affect your grades. I will not allow my son to continue such behavior."

"I understand, father. I'll work harder until my grades improve. I'll…"

"No." He says, cutting me off.

"I have done some careful considerations and have decided that you will no longer be attending Collège Françoise Dupont."

Wait! Was I hearing this right!?

I quickly look up to my father, eyes wide with panic. I completely lose my composure.

"Father, you can't do this! I don't want to be homeschooled again, all of my friends are at school! This isn't fair!" I cry, practically begging. He can't do this to me. He can't make me a prisoner of my own home again! Can I even call it that if it no longer feels like a home?

Even after my screaming, my father still has a calm look on his face.

"Don't worry, you will not be homeschooled again." He says.

I blinked in confusion

"I-I'm not?" I ask. If I'm not going to be homeschooled, then why was he saying that I won't be going to school anymore?

"No." He said as I let out a small breath of relief.

"You will be going overseas to America, to continue your studies there."

At these words, I could practically feel my heart stop.

"Wh-what?" I can only manage a whisper as he continues speaking.

"You will be attending Phillips Academy, a private high school located in Andover, Massachusetts. It is said to be one of the best in America."

I zoned out, not believing this was really happening. When it finally registers that he's serious about all of this, I finally snap back to my senses.

"Father!" My sudden outburst has him pausing with what he was about to say next.

"Y-you can't do this. All of my friends are here in Paris, I can't just pack up my life and leave them." I try and plea. I hadn't even realized that I stood up, or that it had caused my chair to topple over.

"You will make new friends in America. Ones that are a better influence on you."

I pause for a moment.

"Is that really the reason you're sending me to America, because you think my friends are a bad influence on me!?" Father doesn't say anything, he just continues to look at me.

"Father, my friends aren't the ones causing me to miss school or photo shoots. This isn't their fault!" I try to explain to him. From the way that he looks at me, he either doesn't believe me, or thinks that it might be my fault.

"Then there is even more reason to send you. If these absences are of your own accord, you need to be disciplined. You will get that discipline overseas." He says in a stern tone.

"W-what about my modeling? If you send me to America, I won't be able to model for you. You would be losing one of your most popular models for your clothes and products." Honestly, I hate having to be a model for my father, but if I could use it as a way to stay, I'd happily continue.

"I have already made arrangements for that. I contacted one of my colleagues in America, a professional photographer who does photos for several popular magazines. He has talked with the writers he works for and has convinced them to allow you to do a couple test runs for their works. This opportunity will allow you to not only continue your modeling and gain experience working with more than one photographer, but it will also help to spread the Agreste name and brand to the other half of the globe."

He really has this all planned out. He didn't even question whether this was something that I wanted! Does he even care what I think, or what I want!?

"But father, I don't want to go to America. I like going to school here, in Paris. You can't do this!" I try to plead to him.

"I can, and I have. This is no longer up for debate." As he says this, he reaches into his suit's pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. "Here is your plane ticket. You are to leave tomorrow. I have already had Nathalie arrange for someone to pack your things for you."

His eyes seem to gain an almost sad look before it quickly changes back into a stern look. I'm almost convinced that I imagined it.

"I am only doing what is best for you."

It finally hits me, I'm being forced to leave tomorrow. I'm being forced to leave my life here, without even getting the chance to say good-bye to all of my friends. I almost give in before I remember something.

I can't leave! I'm Chat Noir, one of the heroes of Paris. I can't leave Ladybug to fight the akumas and Hawkmoth by herself. Especially without telling her why I wouldn't be around anymore.

"F-father, I can't leave Paris!"

He gives me a disapproving glare, most likely the reason being that I'm still trying to argue with him.

"And why is that?" He questions with a glare.

I can't tell him the truth. My mind goes completely blank.

My father just stares at me before shaking his head and turning around, and I panic.

"Do you really not care what I care about at all!? Do you really hate me that much!? If mom was here, she wouldn't send me away because she actually cared!"

By the time I'm finished, I'm panting. I pause in horror, immediately regretting everything I said. I hesitantly look up, terrified to see my father's reaction. I cringe backwards when I see his face.

He's seething in anger with his face turning a bright red color and a vein is bulging out on his forehead. He's trying to control his temper, and it's obvious he's failing.

"How dare you." He says in a low tone. I unconsciously take a step back, him copying my movements.

"How dare you say that I don't care. I only want what is best for you! And how dare you bring your mother into this!"

As his voice rises in volume, he starts to march towards me. I back up until I hit the opposite wall, but he still continues to move forward until he's practically screaming in my face.

"Ever since she died, I have been the one solely in charge of your wellbeing! I have only done what is best for you, and how do you repay me!? By talking back to me and saying that I don't care!"

His eyes travel down to the ring on my finger and he reaches for it, ripping it from my finger. My eyes widen even further. He can't take it from me, it's the only way I can transform into Chat Noir! The only thing I have left of her!

He closes his fist around the ring, then lifts his arm up. With a cold terror climbing up my spine, I realize what he's about to do.

"No, father, don't!" I reach out to try to stop him, but I'm too late.

He throws the ring to the floor and brings his foot down on it, crushing it beneath his heel. My eyes widen as I hear crunching under his foot. He turns and walks away, but I hardly notice.

I fall to my knees in front of the broken ring and scoop up the pieces in my hands, bringing them close to my chest. Hot tears start to escape the corners of my eyes, and all I can hear is my own heartbeat pounding against my eardrums. My tears start to fall faster when the ring darkens to a black color, the magic leaving the small object.

Plagg flies out of my pocket. I'm glad he's alright, but I don't say anything to him.

I just didn't care anymore.

Everything just felt cold.


	2. Pure Evil

Adrien's POV

I sat on the floor, ignoring the world around me. I hadn't even realized that I had started crying until a tear dripped off my chin and land on a piece of the broken ring. That's when the tears started to flow freely, leaving tear stains from where they traveled. I tried to hold in my cries, swallowing around the lump that was stuck in my throat, but a choked hiccup slipped past my lips. I couldn't hold it any longer and started to sob.

I vaguely heard Plagg speaking to me, trying to comfort me, but I didn't listen. All I could think of was how I couldn't be Chat Noir anymore and I had lost the only thing I had left of my mother. After that thought, I started to cry louder, remembering the day that I lost her.

 _Flashback: 5 years ago_ _(normal POV)_

 _"_ _Adrien?"_

 _A ten-year-old Adrien looks away from the picture he held in his small hands. He turns to the right of his car seat to see a beautiful young woman with golden hair an emerald green eyes sitting next to him. It was his mother who called his name._

 _"_ _Yes mom?" He asks as he puts the picture away._

 _His mother looks at him with a sad and understanding smile. She puts her thin arm around his shoulder and pulls him closer for a hug._

 _"_ _I know you miss him. But you'll see him again soon." She says, trying to comfort her child._

 _Adrien just nods his head and shifts out of his mother's hold and faces to look out of the car's window. His mother just continues to look at him before she reaches into the pocket of her dress, courtesy of her husband's new line of clothing, and rests a hesitant hand on his shoulder. She turns him around to face her again before taking his hand in hers._

 _Adrien looks up to her face with a questioning gaze as she answers his unasked question._

 _"_ _I want to give you something. Something special that has been in my family for a long time." She pulls her hand out of her pocket, pulling out a black box with strange red symbols. She opens Adrien's hand and places the box in his open palm. She gently opens the decorated box so that her son could see what was inside._

 _Inside was a silver ring with a circular base held in place by what looked like four hooks. Adrien thought that it looked like a simple ring, not knowing what was so special about it. His mother seemed to understand what he was thinking._

 _"_ _There's a story that I was told by my own mother about this ring. It holds magical abilities that are only given to those who are extremely special and care greatly for others. When in need, the magic will come to those special people and give them power to protect others." She explained, chuckling slightly at her son's wide, excited eyes. She gazed at him with a fond smile as she continued._

 _"_ _You have a very kind heart, Adrien, and I know that I can trust you take care of this." She said as she took the ring out of the case and placed it on the thumb of Adrien's right hand, being the only finger that was big enough._

 _Adrien hold his hand up to his face, looking at the ring in awe. He looks back up to his mother to thank her but is cut off by a cry coming from the driver._

 _"_ _Adrien!" His mother cries out to him as she grabs him and pulls him to her chest as the driver swerves to avoid colliding with an incoming truck. All Adrien sees is the flashing of the truck's headlights and his mother's eyes screwed shut, bracing for impact._

 _The truck hits the passenger side of the car, causing the car to tumble along the asphalt until coming to a stop._

 _-Time Skip-_

 _Adrien feels sore and confused when he starts to wake up. His head hurt and there was something wet and sticky is running down his face. He struggles to open his eyes, but when he does he's surrounded by the twisted metal of what was once a car._

 _Remembering what made him open his eyes, Adrien brought his hand up to his forehead to where it hurt the most. When he pulled his hand away, he saw his hand covered in red. He noticed a glint of silver on his thumb, slightly dulled by the blood._

 _Seeing the ring, Adrien remembers what happened just moment before. Now feeling scared, desperately tries to get out of his seatbelt. A groan from in front of his alerts him to the presence of the driver. Feeling slightly better knowing the man was relatively alright, Adrien takes a deep breath to calm himself down._

 _After getting his seatbelt off, Adrien looks to his right to see that his mother wasn't in the seat and the car door was no longer there._

 _Adrien crawled across the backseats to reach the open door and scrambled out of the car. Looking up, he saw his mother lying a few feet away. Getting up on shaking legs and wiping away the blood getting into his eyes, he made his way to his mother's side._

 _What he sees made his blood run cold._

 _He couldn't see her moving at all. When he looked closer, he saw that there was a small puddle of blood that was steadily growing larger coming from her._

 _His legs no longer able to hold him up, Adrien falls to his knees beside his mother. He slowly reaches out towards her with trembling hands, scared to touch her a cause the puddle to grow even more. Just wanting her to wake up and reassure him that everything was alright, Adrien grabs her shoulder and tries shaking her awake._

 _"_ _Mom? Mom wake up. We have to go home, or else dad will be worried about us." When that fails to wake her, he starts to shake her harder, desperate for her to wake up._

 _"_ _Mom! Please wake up!"_

 _As he continues, tears start to stream down his face, getting into the cuts he acquired when the windows broke, causing them to sting._

 _It's then that he realizes the truth. His mother wasn't ever going to wake up._

 _Not wanting to believe what he already knew to be true, he continues to frantically shake her._

 _""_ _MOM! PLEASE WAKE UP! DON'T LEAVE ME! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD!" He screams._

 _He starts to hyperventilate, causing his breathing to become erratic. After a few minutes of failing to wake his mother, Adrien stops._

 _He just stares at her face, not knowing what to do._

 _"_ _Please," he whispers, his voice cracking, "don't leave me."_

 _He lays down next to her body and takes a hold of her hand, no longer feeling the comforting warmth that he usually feels. He looks at their intertwined fingers and notices his ring. The last thing she gave him, and the only thing he has left to remember her by._

 _Just before he passes out, Adrien sees the blue and red flashing lights of a police car coming towards them in the distance._

 _-Time Skip- (Ten months ago)_

 _Adrien sits in front of the TV in his room, watching the news about the rampaging monster that is terrorizing Paris. He rests his head on his intertwined fingers. He catches sight of his ring from the corner of his eye, never having removed it since receiving it, and remembers something his mother told him._

 ** _"_** ** _When in need, the magic will come to those special people and give them power to protect others."_**

 _He looks back to the screen to see Stone Heart attack the police force._

 _"_ _I wish that I could help everyone, but what could I do? I can't protect anyone." He says, looking down in defeat. Not noticing the strange black, cat-like creature flying through his window that was about to change his life forever._

 _End Flashback_

Adrien's POV

I stop crying at some point while thinking about my mother and the opportunity Plagg gave me. I still feel miserable and don't want to deal with anyone who could walk into the dining room. I'm almost surprised that no one came in to check on what all the crying was for, just shows how much they actually care.

I gather up any remaining pieces of the ring off of the floor before slowly standing up, my knee joints popping from staying in a kneeling position for so long. I'm about to head to my room to lock myself inside when I'm reminded of Plagg's presence when he calls out my name.

"Adrien! Look out!"

I look up to see a dark purple, almost black, shape coming towards me. I immediately think Hawkmoth has finally come to try and akumatize me. I squeeze my eyes closed, preparing to hear his voice and fight against his control. However, I never hear a voice, but I still feel a malicious presence surrounding me.

My eyes snap open in shock and fear and I see not an akuma, but a dark mist surrounding me. I quickly look around to see where it's coming from, only to notice that it's coming from the broken ring.

The mist continues to swirl around me, climbing higher up my body. I try to shake and push it away, but my struggling only causes for it to cling to me more.

I look to Plagg, my eyes pleading for help, but it's too late. Just as the mysterious mist is about to engulf the rest of me, I look at Plagg once more, calling out to him with a desperate voice.

"Plagg!"

I saw no more

Plagg's POV

I felt helpless as I watched the dark mist surround Adrien and he called out to me, feeling as if he was begging for me to do something. All I could do was fly around the dark purple mass, waiting for it to release my kitten.

When the mist finally cleared, Adrien was standing in the same spot as before. I didn't know if it was still my Adrien, or if **_he_** had taken control.

"Adrien?" I call out with a hesitant voice, scared that it wouldn't be the one I wanted to answer me.

When he opened his eyes, I felt my fur stand up on end and my blood run cold. What I saw weren't Adrien's green eyes that everyone adored, but a blue-purple that I haven't seen in millennia. **_He_** turned towards me, a sickly-sweet smile adorning Adrien's face, not belonging there at all. I knew that smile held darker thoughts behind it.

"Ah, Plagg. It's been so long. How long has it been? Ten, twenty thousand years?" He says in a nonchalant way in a voice that was deeper than Adrien's, sounding as if he was happy to see me. Suddenly, his face twists into a hateful sneer.

"I've 'missed' you, _little brother_."


	3. In Charge

Plagg's POV

My brother and I just stared at each other for what felt like hours but was only a few seconds. He looked at me with eyes that screamed of his hatred towards me while I looked at him with a look of despair.

I couldn't take the deafening silence anymore.

"Zlo, please, let Adrien go. He hasn't done anything to you, he isn't a part of this. He doesn't deserve this." I try begging to him, I didn't want him to do anything that could harm Adrien.

My heart sank when his face twisted into one of rage.

"Doesn't deserve it?" he asks with a sneer. "Just like I didn't deserve to be denied what was rightfully mine, then trapped within that damn ring for twenty millennia!? I don't care if the boy doesn't deserve this, he's going to help me get what I want, whether he likes it or not!"

I'm momentarily stunned by his outburst, never have seeing him this mad before. While I'm distracted, Zlo runs past me into the entry way. I quickly follow him, but as I make it to the staircase, I see him running out the front door.

Unable to follow him, for fear of being seen by a civilian, I fly back to the ring and struggle to pick up all of the broken pieces.

I make my way up to Adrien's room, where he always leaves the window open a small crack. I head out the window, flying high so that no one could see me. I need to find Ladybug, maybe she could help stop my brother, before I lose Adrien forever.

Zlo's POV

As I walk down the streets of Paris, I notice all the stares and pictures everyone is taking of me, or this "Adrien" character. Of course, it probably has something to do with him being his father's most famous model. I only know this because I've been stuck in that ring for years, watching the outside world through the eyes of Chat Noir. Just like every other Chat Noir, I've been inside this one's head. I remember every single one, learned about them, and this one is no different.

I quickly duck into the nearest alleyway to hide from all of the stares. This stupid kid may be nice to everyone, but that doesn't mean that I have to deal with such insignificant people.

I make my way through the dark alleyways, heading towards the edge of town, avoiding as much human contact as possible.

When I finally reach the outskirts of this revolting town, I spot my destination in the distance; a dome shaped building that looks run down. It seems as if it has been unused for years without any care. However, the butterfly themed window near the top was in surprisingly good shape.

I walk up the pathway, knowing that he was here. I kick the door in and call out.

"Hawkmoth! Come out! Don't try to hide, I know you're here! I can sense your miraculous!"

I walk around the ground floor before coming to a set of stairs. As I make my way up the stairs, I here the fluttering of wings coming from up ahead. When I reach the top of the stairs, I walk into a circular room filled with butterflies.

Standing in the middle of the room, basking in the light provided by the butterfly window, is a single man. He turns around at the sound of my steps, miraculous already activated to hide his identity.

Even though the majority of his face was covered by a mask, his shock was plainly obvious.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, stepping forward slightly.

I'm slightly surprised at his reaction, expecting more anger at seeing a random fifteen-year-old roaming around in his lair.

Suddenly, I realize that his voice sounds familiar. I continue to study him as he gets closer. When he is standing right in front of me, that's when I realize it. His voice, eyes, and facial features that aren't covered by the mask matches perfectly.

I smirk at him, chuckling slightly. I'm pleased when he takes a step back in surprise.

"Well this is certainly a surprise." Hawkmoth takes another step backwards at hearing my voice. He takes a closer look at me and finally notices the color of my eyes. His own eyes widen in shock.

"Who would have thought that Hawkmoth would have been the father of the hero Chat Noir? Isn't that right, Gabriel?"

Hawkmoth detransforms with a purple light travelling down from his head. Standing in his place is the fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, with his kwami, Nooroo, floating by his head. Gabriel motions for Nooroo to leave, silently asking for us to talk in private.

Once the butterfly kwami is gone, Gabriel turns back towards me. He seems to muster up as much courage as he can as he squares his shoulders.

"How did you know who I was?" Gabriel asks.

I chuckle slightly.

"The magic of the miraculous prevents people from identifying those underneath the mask. However, this magic does not affect me, so it was fairly simple to figure out who you were." I explain.

He looks at me with a hesitant look, clearly not trusting me.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my son?" he questions.

I'm slightly impressed that he doesn't stutter.

"I'm sure you've at least heard of me. My name is Zlo. I was recently freed from my prison within the cat miraculous, the ring which you yourself destroyed."

At my words, he looks to my finger, which used to hold the mentioned ring.

"After being released, I took control of the nearest vessel."

Gabriel's eyes widen, but before he can speak, I continue.

"Don't worry, your son is still alive." _For now_. "I will leave your son's body, but I need a body of my own before I do so. I need you to obtain the ladybug miraculous so that I can create my own vessel to possess."

Gabriel seems to think about the situation before coming to a conclusion.

"I'll help you retrieve the ladybug miraculous. I'll send out more akumas to create more villains to take the miraculous from Ladybug. In return, I want you to return my son to me." He says, looking almost desperate.

"Perfect. However, I don't want you to just take the miraculous from her." Gabriel looks at me with a questioning look. My smirk widens in response. "I want you to kill Ladybug. I want you to bring her in front of me so that I may watch the life leave her eyes."

Gabriel looks horrified. I'm not sure if it's from what I'm asking of him, or the fact that he was hearing it come from his own son. Maybe it's both. Either way, I find amusement in his discomfort.

"I-I can't do that. I may try to steal the miraculous from Ladybug and Chat Noir, but I never wanted to kill anyone." As he says this, my smile starts to fall into a neutral look.

"I see." I say as calmly as I can. Something in my tone seems to show how angered I am, for Gabriel starts to slightly shake in fear. He starts wringing his hands together, refusing to look me in the eye. As I step closer, I notice a sheen of sweat appear on his forehead.

"I guess that I will just have to… persuade you then." I say with a menacing tone, my smile coming back full force.

With quick actions, I reach my arm out and grab him from around his throat. It is difficult to control my anger and not snap his neck right now. He looks at me with fear in his eyes, and I relish the look he gives me, one of pure terror. My smile continues to grow.

"Let's see how long it will take me to get you to see it my way."

This will be fun.


	4. Finding Help

_Meanwhile_

Marinette's POV

Alya and I parted ways, going in separate directions at a crossroad. As I waved goodbye to her, my mind drifted to a specific person.

I couldn't help but think of how hot Adrien looked today. Even though I think he looks hot every day, his run from the park just added to his looks.

His sweat caused his clothes to cling to his skin, giving me an incredible view of the toned muscles on his back from where I sat behind him. The blood that had rushed to his face made it seem as if he was blushing, the red of his cheeks making his gorgeous green eyes stand out even more.

I sigh just thinking about it. I wish he would do more running before school, as long as it didn't involve any akumas.

"Marinette, you might want to stop thinking about Adrien."

I look down to my purse, seeing my ladybug kwami, Tikki, peaking her head out of the opening.

"How did you know that I was thinking abut Adrien?" I asked. It's no secret that I think of Adrien quit a bit, but what made her think I was thinking about him now?

Tikki giggled, looking up at me with a smile.

"It's kind of obvious with how much you're blushing. Besides," she explained, pointing at me, "you're starting to drool a little bit."

I quickly bring my hand to my mouth and am embarrassed when I realize that I did actual start to drool a tiny bit. I roughly wipe away any evidence of my drooling before looking back at Tikki.

"Sorry Tikki." I say, blushing madly in my embarrassment. Tikki just giggles again before she ducks back into my purse to hide, and probably grab an extra cookie.

I continue to walk for a few more minutes, trying to not think about Adrien, before I make it to the front doors of my parents' bakery. As I push the door open, the bell chimes overhead and I'm assaulted by the delectable smells of freshly baked goodies. Even after all these years, I'm still pleasantly surprised by the amazing smells of my parents' shop.

I saw my dad walk out of the back kitchen with a fresh batch of croissants. Before placing them in the display case, he places a few of them in a bag that my mom hands to a costumer.

"Hi mom. Hi dad." I said as I walked up to them, waving to the costumer as they walk out of the shop.

"Hi sweetheart. How was school today?" My dad asked as he placed the croissants in the display case, handing one to me with a wink.

I smile and giggle at his goofy and kind gesture.

"It was good. Although, we were given a bit of homework for the weekend. I was planning to go and get an early start on it before dinner." I explained, taking a bite out of the warm croissant and heading up the stairs.

"That's a good idea. Just don't overwork yourself trying to get it all done tonight." I heard my mom call out as I made my way to my room.

After I made it to my room and closed the trap door, Tikki flew out of her hiding place in my purse and made her way over to my desk. I dropped my bookbag on my lounge chair and dug inside to grab my chemistry textbook. Even though I had the entire weekend to work on my homework, I wanted to get as much done as possible, so I could hang out with Alya. Maybe I could even buy some more fabrics for a design I had in mind.

I dropped my textbook on my desk and opened to a clean page of my notebook and got started.

-Time Skip-

I slammed my textbook closed when I finally finished the last question of my literature homework. I looked to my clock to see that I had been working for almost two and a half hours. I was able to get chemistry, math, and literature done, so I was satisfied for now. Since I only had history and English left, I figured I could finish tomorrow.

As I'm cleaning up my school work, I hear something bang against my window. Thinking that it was just a pigeon that flew into my window, I decided to ignore it.

I continued to pick up my stuff before hearing another bang. I looked up to the window but couldn't see what was causing the banging.

Tikki flew up to see what was causing the noise when she suddenly cried out.

"Plagg!"

I scramble up the ladder leading to the window to see a small cat-like creature floating outside. Judging from these facts, and that Tikki seemed to know them, I figured that this creature was Chat Noir's kwami.

I quickly opened the window, wondering what Chat's kwami was doing here and how he knew where I was?

I push these questions to the back of my mind for now, more worried about the fact that Plagg(?) looked terrified. As he flies inside, I notice that he's holding something in his hands. I try to get a closer look, but my view is blocked by Tikki.

"Plagg, what are you doing here? What's going on?" Tikki asks, looking worried for her fellow kwami.

Plagg seems to have trouble speaking, so instead of answering, he holds the object in his hands out for Tikki to see.

Tikki gasps when she sees what he's holding, starting to look just as terrified as Plagg.

I finally look around Tikki to see what Plagg is holding. It was a small object that looked like it was broken into multiple pieces. As I took a closer look, I realized that the pieces had a familiar shape. My eyes widened slightly when I realized that the pieces were Chat's miraculous.

My mind finally connected everything. Chat's kwami coming to me, looking terrified and holding the broken pieces of his ring.

"What happened? Where is Chat?" I ask quietly, my mind creating too many worse case scenarios for me to even show my panic.

"Ch-Cha…" Plagg tries to speak but chokes on a sob.

My fear grows, but I try to not show it. I wait patiently for Plagg to catch his breath, knowing that trying to rush him would only cause him to become even more worked up.

Finally catching his breath, Plagg takes a deep breath before something scares me more than anything.

"Chat Noir is in danger. We have to hurry before he is lost for good!"

Zlo's POV

I drop Gabriel at my feet, wiping the blood on my hands off on my shirt. His face is bloody and swollen, his arm is twisted in an unnatural angle and his leg looks purple and blue from under his ripped pant leg. He's having trouble catching his breath and his breaths sound wheezy and shallow. Probably having something to do with his broken ribs. Somehow, he is still conscious after everything I did. But not for much longer.

"Now," I begin to say to him, enjoying the way he shakes in fear, "When you wake up, you're going to do exactly as I say. If not, well… I'm not sure I'll be able to guarantee the safety of your son." I say, knowing that threatening the boy would help to persuade him.

He looks up at me and, with the rest of his strength, nods his understanding before passing out for who knows how long.

I sigh as I stand up, wiping off some of the blood that got on my face. It was only when I was wiping the blood off of my chin that I realized something was different.

I slid my tongue across my teeth and feel that they have changed. They're sharper, more cat-like. I smile with satisfaction.

I walk down the stairs and find an old bathroom. The mirror is cracked, and pieces are missing from the frame, but I could still see my reflection. To my delight, my teeth weren't the only things to have changed. The purple-blue color of my eyes were even more noticeable, and the pupils had turned into slits, making them look more like a cat's. A few strands of blonde hair had also started to darken but weren't as obvious.

"Seems that the transformation has already started. Before long, the transformation will be complete, and I'll be in complete control of this body." I say with glee before my smile drops.

"But this is taking too long. I need this body to become stronger, so I can beat Ladybug and take her miraculous. If the transformation takes too much longer, the pressure of the transformation will cause this body to destroy itself"

I think for a few moments, trying to think why the transformation was taking so long. Suddenly, I understood.

I sneer when I realize why it's taking so long to complete the transformation. In my anger, I lash out and smash my fist against the mirror, shattering the remaining pieces.

"The boy must be fighting against my control. I need to stop him before this body rips itself apart, with me along with it."

I pause when an idea comes to me, my Cheshire grin returning.

"I think it's about time that I properly introduce myself to Adrien."


	5. Meeting Zlo

Adrien's POV

I was surrounded by an inky blackness, and I couldn't feel anything except for a numb sensation. After some time, I realized that I was slowly making my way back into consciousness. When I was finally able to pry my eyes open, I was met with even more darkness.

The darkness stretched farther than I could see. I couldn't see where I was, and I couldn't remember how I got here.

It kind of reminded me of when I was captured by the akuma Digital. His camera had sent me to an empty world with Chloe.

Only this time, the world surrounding me is black and I'm alone. I also don't remember any akumas before I woke up here.

I started to walk around, hoping to find an exit, or another way out.

It's hard to keep track of time when all there is, is perpetual darkness. However, after what feels close to three hours, a bright light suddenly flashes, appearing out of nowhere.

Once the light faded, I had to blink several times before there were no more light spots blurring my vision.

I looked around to see if anything was different. Everything looked almost the same, except for the pair of purple-blue eyes that were now staring at me.

"Hello Adrien. It's nice to finally meet you in person." A smooth voice spoke to me. The voice echoed around me, but I could tell it was coming from whoever the eyes belonged to. I didn't recognize the voice or the color of the eyes, all I could think of was how this person knew who I was.

"How do you know me? Who are you? And where are we?"

The mysterious person chuckled slightly before his eyes seemed to glow with amusement.

"Curious, aren't you? Of course, I know you, Adrien. I've been with you since the very beginning, ever since you first received your ring." He said.

I couldn't help but to look down at where my ring should be. However, my eyes widened in slight fear when I saw that I didn't have my ring anymore.

I was about to ask what happened to my ring when images flashed before my eyes. I remembered what happened. My father trying to send me to America, me yelling at him and angering him, and finally, him crushing my ring.

I felt like crying again, but pushed that feeling aside, knowing that that's not what I needed to focus on now.

I looked back at the purple-blue eyes, about to question what he meant by his answer. Just as I was about to open my mouth, the disembodied voice began to speak again.

"You see, I have been trapped within that ring for a very long time. Through your connection with the ring, I was able to see into your mind and learn more about you and your experiences. Now, because the ring has been broken, I have been freed from my prison and am now able to talk to you freely within your mindscape, which is where we are now. However, I do not have a body of my own, and since a human body cannot handle two souls dwelling within it at once, it is going to start destroying itself soon. So, as I see it, I only have two options. Either I use your body until I am able to acquire one for myself or take control of your body and spirit to use as my own."

I was left speechless at his explanation. I couldn't believe what he was telling. But then I remembered the mist that had surrounded me after my ring was broken, and the evil feeling that I felt before passing out.

There was still one question that wasn't answered.

"You still haven't told me who you are." I pointed out.

"Ah," he said with an obvious smile, "I'm not surprised that Plagg has never mentioned me before."

What!? What has this got to do with Plagg? Has he not been telling me something? Before I could question him, the person continued.

"My name is Zlo. The reason that I know Plagg, is because I am his older brother."

BROTHER!? Plagg has a brother and didn't tell me? I almost feel hurt that he never mentioned this to me, but after meeting Zlo, I can't really blame him.

As I was having my inner freak out, the world started to steadily get brighter until it was a white background instead of black. With the ability to now see my surroundings, I was finally able to get a good look of Zlo.

Compared to me, he was about another foot taller than me and had a similar physique, just slightly more defined muscles. His face wasn't as round but had a sharper jaw line. He also had tan skin and black hair just above shoulder length with bangs that barely reached his eyes. He wore what looked like an ancient martial arts uniform, but I couldn't tell exactly which type. However, the most unnerving part about him was his smile. Not only did it show off all of his razor-sharp teeth, but it was cold and sinister, causing it to send shivers up my spine when I looked at him.

With just one look at him, I knew that he was dangerous, and I had to get away.

"There's no use in running Adrien." He called out to me before I could even take a step back.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, I asked hoping to get some answers out of him.

Zlo looked at me with an expression that made me feel like I was a child being explained something for the umpteenth time. He sighed before answering me.

"As I said before, I'm in need of my own vessel. This body is trying to accommodate for the two souls inhabiting it, causing it to change appearances physically. However, you seem to be subconsciously fighting against any influence I have, which will cause this body to tear itself apart." He explained.

I try to hide a smirk, glad that even though I was trapped at the moment, I was still fighting back. I quickly drop my smirk when I see Zlo scowl, obviously seeing I was happy about this fact.

"I have come to make a deal with you, Adrien. You want me out of your body, and I need a body of my own. I have come up with a solution to our predicament. However, with what I am about to propose, one of us will not make it out of here." He said in a business-like tone.

I try to swallow the lump that had begun to form in my throat, tense about how serious of a situation I was in. Steeling myself slightly, I reply.

"What do you have in mind?"

Knowing that he has my attention, Zlo's grin returns in full force.

"We'll have a duel. I will even be fair enough to give you a weapon to aid yourself in the fight. The terms are as followed. If you win, I will disappear, and you will be rid of me forever, unable to control your body or harm you and your loved ones."

I almost smile, thinking that that wasn't so bad, but then remembered that he still needed to say his terms.

"However, if I am the victor, I will absorb your soul to gain more power and your body will become my own."

Any thoughts of this situation not being as bad as it seems flies from my mind. If I lose, I'll cause so many people a lot of pain. On the other hand, if I was able to win, I could prevent all of this and stop Zlo. My train of thought is derailed by Zlo himself.

"Just know that whatever the outcome, the loser's soul will be gone forever. The soul will no longer exist, meaning that there would be no afterlife or second life. They would just cease to exist."

I felt fear crawl up my spine. These stakes were worth more than anything else I have had to deal with before. But if I didn't accept his offer, who know what Zlo would do to get what he wants.

I take a slow, deep breath and look straight into his eyes.

No turning away.

"I accept your offer." I say with determination. I can't lose this.

Zlo's grin grows even wider, to the point that it looks as if it will split his face in half. A glint of evil and killing intent flashes in his eyes.

"Excellent."


	6. Forces United

Plagg's POV

It wasn't that hard to find Ladybug. Tikki and I had found out the identities of each other's miraculous holder when Principal Damocles was turned into Dark Owl. I remember Adrien visiting Marinette's place before, so I was able to find her fairly quickly. It was still too long in my opinion.

I was panicking slightly when I finally arrived at my destination that it took me a few minutes to catch my breath and tell Marinette that Adrien was in trouble.

When I did, everything went quiet. Marinette and Tikki wore matching terrified expressions. They're mouths were hanging open, unsure of what should be said.

After a few minutes, Tikki snapped out of her stunned state. She still looked scared, about to ask the question that she already has the answer to.

"Plagg, how is Chat Noir in danger?"

My eyes travelled down to the broken ring that I still held within my tiny paws. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I sighed and began to speak.

"Chat Noir, while in his civilian form, got into a fight with his father. He said something that enraged his father, and he ripped the ring off of his finger and crushed it." I explained with as little details as possible. I want to get Adrien back, but I know that he wouldn't want Ladybug to find out about his terrible home life. I don't want to hurt him like that.

I pause when I hear Marinette gasp. I look up at her to see her hand in front of her mouth, probably shocked to here that Chat's father would do something so cruel.

Ignoring her for now, I look back at Tikki. Her horrified expression is back, and I know she knows what happened next without me having to tell her.

"Tikki…" I begin to say, pausing again as my emotions cause my voice to crack, "Zlo's escaped. He's taken over his body and I don't know what to do."

I don't even try to hide the tears that overflow from the corners of my eyes. I'm too worried about my best friend, my kitten, to care.

"Wait a minute. Who's Zlo?"

I turn to look at Marinette. Tikki gives me a look and nods her head as a signal that I should tell her. I take a breath, preparing myself for what I was about to tell her. Finally, I fully face Marinette, looking her in the eyes and tell her everything.

"A long time ago, us kwamies were not what we are like today. We used to be just like everyone else. We used to be human."

 _Flashback_

 _We used to live in a small village in an unknown part of China, where everyone knew each other, and everyone treated each other as family._ _In our village, there lived a sorcerer who believed that our world would soon fall into great danger._

 _He decided that he would train the older teenagers and young adults in the village so that he could choose fourteen who showed the most potential. Fifteen to become kwamies, fifteen to hold and control the power of the miraculouses. Zlo, my older brother, was also one of those who were trained._

 _It took three years of constant training, night and day, before the sorcerer believed that we were ready._

 _No one's POV_

 _Plagg stood next to his brother, whom he looked extremely similar to, but with younger, more boyish features and green eyes instead of his brother's purple-blue eyes. On his other side stood his best friend Angúo, who had golden, blonde hair and vibrant green eyes._

 _Plagg looked around at the other trainees. He noticed Tikki, a girl who lived next door to him that that had fire red hair, deep, ocean blue eyes and an array of freckles covering her face. Standing next to her was a girl with dark hair and sapphire blue eyes and a small amount of freckles that he often saw hanging out with Tikki. If he remembered correctly, he name was Meili, Tikki's best friend._

 _He continued to look down the line and saw many familiar faces that he mostly couldn't place a name to. There was at least eighty young men and women standing with him._

 _However, as Plagg was scanning the faces of his fellow trainees, he couldn't help but to look at his brother._

 _He remembers how about ten weeks ago, Zlo had wanted to check out an unexplored cave on the other side of the village and had asked both Plagg and Angúo to accompany him. They had both refused, knowing that the sorcerer himself was wary of the cave and didn't want to get into any trouble. So Zlo had gone himself._

 _He had been gone for three days before returning, Plagg noticing that something seemed off about him._

 _As the weeks had progressed and their training was coming to a close, Zlo had started to act different. He became more serious, hardly smiling anymore and preferring to be by himself than spend time with friends or his brother. It was such and obvious change from his usual happy and caring attitude that the entire camp had noticed._

 _Plagg and Angúo had talked about this change in Zlo. They were both worried about what was happening since Angúo also saw Zlo as an older brother._

 _Plagg was shaken from his thoughts when what sounded like a gong echoed throughout the training grounds._

 _The sorcerer stepped in front of the line of students who had been training under him for the past three years. He had gotten to know each and every one of them, their desires, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and hearts._

 _"_ _You have all done well these past three years, and I am proud of every single one of you." As the sorcerer said this, everyone gained a smile, feeling as if they have already accomplished something great by hearing his praise._

 _"_ _However, I can only choose thirty of you to continue training._ _When you first began, I told you that the outcome of your training and the choices I make will change these thirty lives forever. For those that I have chosen to become what are called kwamies, you will not only gain tremendous power but unfortunately, until this evil force is destroyed, you will be stuck with your new form for the rest of eternity."_

 _As he was saying this, many of the students became worried. Not knowing the outcome of the transformations or for how long it will last. Everyone looked at each other, unsure if they would want to possibly live forever, watching as their loved ones grew older without them. All except Zlo, who actually looked excited at the prospect of the idea._

 _"_ _As for those that I have chosen to be the wielder of the miraculouses, they will have to fight against this dark force until they are physically unable to fight any longer. When that time comes, your miraculous will be left in the care of the guardians until a new chosen holder is found. After much consideration, I have finally made my decisions."_

 _At this announcement, everyone stood straight, excited and eager to learn who the sorcerer had chosen was worthy to defend against the evil forces._

 _"_ _I shall begin with the miraculous holder. These chosen ones are_ _Bo, Chao, Meili," At this, Tikki gave her friend a pat on the back as Meili slowly walked to the line forming next to the sorcerer. "Chun, Angúo…" Angúo looked excited as he practically skipped in line next to the sorcerer, looking back to see Plagg giving him a big smile and a thumbs up. A few more names were called, and Plagg was slightly dejected that his name wasn't called. He wasn't going to be in the same group as his friend, but he still held hope that he would be called to be a kwami._

 _As the last chosen miraculous holder stepped into line, the remaining students clapped and cheered for their friends that were given this great honor._

 _The sorcerer also clapped for these chosen fifteen, before stopping and holding his hands up to silence everyone._

 _"_ _Now, for those that I have chosen to become kwamies." The remaining students began to look nervous, whether being nervous about not being chosen or having to become kwamies depended on each individual._

 _"_ _The fifteen to be turned into kwamies are Wayzz, Nooroo, Duusu, Tikki, Trixx, Plagg…"_

 _Plagg looked up at his name being called, a huge smile forming on his face. Racing to meet with the others, he is given a pat on the back as he passes Angúo, not hearing the rest of the names called. As he gets into line, he looks back to his brother, but loses his smile at what he sees._

 _Zlo's face is one of complete shock, but it quickly morphs into one of pure rage. Plagg watches with a worried look as he sees Zlo turn around, pushing the remainder of the students out of the way as he storms off._

 _Plagg wants to follow him, but stays where he is, thinking that he could talk to his brother after the ceremonies._

 _-Time Skip-_

 _After the celebrations of the thirty chosen students, everyone walks down the steps of the temple where they trained so that they may return to their families before the fifteen chosen to be kwamies are transformed the next morning._

 _However, instead of finding their peaceful village at the bottom of the stairs, they see flames licking at all the homes in the village. They can hear the screams of those who are unable to escape the fires and the cries of those who have already lost their loved ones._

 _Scared for their own families and the other students that had left the temple earlier that day, everyone splits up, calling out the names of those lost to the fire._

 _As Plagg is running around, calling for his parents and brother, but he stops when he notices two figures standing just outside of the village perimeters. Walking closer, he realizes that the figures are his brother and the sorcerer._

 _Trying to make out what the two are talking about, Plagg does not notice when the other chosen ones walk up behind him, also noticing the two figures._

 _"_ _What have you done Zlo? Why would you do something like this?" The sorcerer asked in despair, upset that someone he viewed as family would do something so horrible._

 _"_ _Because you denied me the power that I rightly deserve. Now, I'm a follower of the evil force you're trying to destroy, and I will do anything for my master."_

 _Plagg shivered at the cold voice his brother spoke in. The same brother that helped his parents raise him, the brother that protected him and Angúo from bullies, the brother that he loved. He couldn't believe that his brother could do something so cruel to the people he grew up with._

 _"_ _I am sorry Zlo, but I cannot let you continue like this." The sorcerer said before he started to mutter an incantation._

 _Zlo lunged at the sorcerer, but before he could get far, he froze in midair. The sorcerer held up a silver ring as he finished his spell._

 _Plagg watched in horror as he watched his brother become surrounded by a dark purple mist that dragged him into the ring that the sorcerer held._

 _Once the spell was complete, the sorcerer looked at the ring with sadness in his eyes, showing just how old he truly was. He turned to the group of teens and young adults and walked towards Plagg, handing him the ring._

 _"_ _Here Plagg. I only find it fitting that this ring become the miraculous that you will soon possess. Please, choose your miraculous holder wisely as they will also have to protect the darkness that now is held within this ring."_

 _Plagg could only nod his head, still trying to come to terms with what he just saw. He frowned, mentally asking himself who of the miraculous holders would be willing to bare this burden with him._

 _"_ _I'll do it." Plagg jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly, Plagg saw Angúo behind him, looking at him with a supportive smile. Plagg smiled back, knowing that his friend, who is much like a brother to him, would be there for him no matter what._

 _The next day, the fifteen chosen kwamies were turned into the creatures that they will stay as for the next twenty thousand years._

 _End Flashback_

Marinette's POV

For the past twenty millennia, my brother has been trapped within the cat miraculous, waiting for a chance to escape. And now he has." Plagg finishes his story. By the end of it, my head is spinning.

I have so many questions, but my mind can't quite comprehend what I was just told. Before I could even begin to try and sort my thoughts, Plagg speaks up.

"I know you probably have a lot of questions, but we've wasted enough time as it is. We need to hurry and rescue Adrien."

All thoughts and questions I have halted at what Plagg just said.

"W-what do you mean by 'rescue Adrien'?" I ask, not quite wanting to believe what I just heard.

Plagg looks confused until he realizes what he just said.

"Oops. I didn't mean to say that. I guess that now I've said it, you might as well know."

Looking a bit sheepish, he gives me an answer that fills me with dread.

"Adrien is Chat Noir. And with how long we have been here talking, I don't know how much time we have left until we lose Adrien forever."


	7. The Battle Begins

Zlo's POV

I am still able to move freely using this body. A part of my subconscious may be fighting in a battle within the mind that I now share with Adrien Agreste, but I am still in control.

The only reason that I chose to fight the boy is so that he would be distracted enough that I could take complete control faster.

Fifty or so minutes have already passed by the time I come back to consciousness. Curious to see if my plan is working as I want, I head back over to the bathroom that I was using earlier.

Picking up one of the shards of the broken mirror off of the floor, I look to see my reflection. I smile at what I see.

My skin has become a darker shade than before, but not quite as tan as I usually am. I also notice that about a third of my hair is no longer blonde, but a midnight black.

My smile widens as I notice another section of hair fade from light to dark.

The transformation is almost complete. I was correct in assuming that by distracting the boy, the transformation would quicken.

Before long, I'll be in complete control and have enough power to kill Ladybug and take her miraculous.

-Inside the mind-

No One's POV

Zlo and Adrien stood across from each other, neither one moving. Zlo was the first to speak.

"As I mentioned before, this fight will continue until one of us is no longer alive. However, it would be an unfair fight if I did not allow you to have a weapon, as I also possess the power of the cat miraculous, except mine is unlimited." As he was saying this, Zlo lifted his hand so Adrien could see a dark magic surrounding his hand, looking exactly like cataclysm. Adrien couldn't help but notice that his nails looked sharp enough to cut through skin.

When he was done speaking, Zlo snapped his fingers and a sword appeared in front of Adrien.

Adrien was just barely able to catch the sword before it hit the floor. As he held it up, he notice that it looked much like the sword he would use while fencing. The only difference was that this sword had a sharpened edge.

"I have an understanding that you are quite skilled with in fencing. I find it only fitting than that your weapon be a sword that you are accustomed to." Zlo said as if he was doing Adrien a huge favor by placing a sword in his hands.

Adrien looked at the sword with confusion, wondering how Zlo knew that he fenced. A look of understanding came across his face when he remembered that Zlo was able to get into his head, thanks to the ring he always wore.

"Now let's see how well you do in an actual fight." Without any warning, Zlo lunged at Adrien with his claws out, cataclysm already activated.

Adrien was barely able to look in time to block the before it hit him. He only had a brief moment to be amazed that Zlo gave him a sword that wasn't affected by cataclysm before Zlo leapt backwards, throwing Adrien off balance.

Zlo ran around toward the opposite side of Adrien, trying to catch him while he was unbalanced.

Adrien, almost having the same amount of flexibility as a cat, was able to twist around and bring his sword up at the same time to block the oncoming attack.

With the force put behind the attack, Adrien was knocked off of his feet and hit the ground on his back, still managing to hold back Zlo's claws, which were only inches from his face.

"Just give up, I have more experience and power than you. You must realize that you are severely outmatched." Zlo hissed in Adrien's face, hoping that he could intimidate him.

Although Adrien knew this was going to be a tough fight, he was Chat Noir, and he was not going to go down without a fight.

"Never." Adrien spat into Zlo's face.

His anger rising, Zlo brought back one of his dark hands and brought it down towards Adrien's face.

Adrien raised his foot and kicked Zlo in the stomach, pushing him off of him. On his way back, one of Zlo's claw-like nails caught on Adrien's cheek, causing a deep cut to form, proving Adrien's earlier thought. Adrien rolled away from Zlo and stood up, a line of blood slid down his face.

"You see?" Zlo said. "You're already having a hard time fighting me, why not save yourself the pain and just give in?" He said, trying to end the fight without too much of a struggle on his part, expecting Adrien to realize that he wouldn't win.

What Zlo didn't count on was the answer that Adrien gave.

"No. As long as I can, as long as I am alive, I will not give up, especially to you. If I give up, I'll be letting down so many people. I was chosen to become Chat Noir to protect the citizens of Paris. If I let you win, I don't deserve that title." Adrien said with a strong voice, his eyes shining with his determination.

Wiping the line of blood with the back of his hand, Adrien makes his first offensive move.

He moves to stab Zlo from the left. Zlo brings up one clawed hand to block the attack and brings the other up to lunge at Adrien. However, Adrien expertly swings the sword up to change the course of both claws and brings it back down so that it hits Zlo from the right side.

Before Adrien is able to mortally wound him, Zlo jumps back and holds his bleeding side with his right hand.

Bringing his hand up, a look of shock is on his face, unable to believe that the human boy was able to successfully attack him.

Looking up towards Adrien's face, he notices that for the first time, Adrien's eyes are cold and determined.

"It seems that I have underestimated you."

"It seems you have."

Zlo lifts his hand to his face without breaking eye contact with Adrien. Smiling, he licks the blood from his fingers.

"This fight is turning out to be more interesting than I thought." He said with a sadistic smile.

Flicking the blood off of his sword, Adrien lunges at Zlo, Zlo following close behind.


	8. New Hope?

Marinette's POV

It took me a couple minutes to process what I was just told. Adrien, the boy I was in love with, was my partner. The one person I could trust to always have my back, and who I was constantly rejecting because I was trying to impress his civilian identity.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at how ironic this is.

The one thing that really got to me was how different he acted when out of the mask. Just shows how much he hides from those around him, even his friends.

When I was finally able to think without freaking out, I raced downstairs and grabbed a plate of camembert, remembering Chat mentioning it once when he was close to detransforming. I placed the plate in front of Plagg, who hesitated before his stomach growled. I remember a conversation Chat and I once had about our kwamies, him telling me his kwami was a glutton. To see him hesitating to eat had me worried, but he was probably just still worried about Adrien, I was too.

I took this time to have Tikki transform me into Ladybug. As I opened my window, I told Plagg to stay behind. However, with the look he was giving me, I knew that he probably won't be staying still for very long.

I have to force myself to stop and land on one of the roofs when I misstep and almost fall off, too busy thinking about everything that I learned today. I take a moment to go over everything I knew about this situation.

First, Plagg has an evil brother that has been trapped for millennia.

Second, because Adrien's dad broke the ring that held Zlo, he was freed.

Third, Zlo took control of Adrien's body because he no longer had one of his own.

Lastly, Zlo is mostly likely going to try and take my miraculous from me.

Looking at it like that, it doesn't sound that much different from and akuma. But I know that it's not going to be as simple as destroying an akumatized item and purify the akuma.

And I still need to find where he's hiding.

Looking down at the streets below and the people walking around, it's hard to believe that my world is crashing down around me.

I take a deep breath before I continue to run along the rooftops. I don't have time to worry about myself right now. I have to keep going or I could possibly lose both my partner and the boy I love.

I continue going for another fifteen or so minutes, about to call it quits for tonight, when something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I stop as quickly as I can and double back to get a better look at what I saw.

It turns out that it was another person. A boy with black hair dressed in what looks like a martial arts uniform standing at the edge of a rooftop. I get closer, just in case, when he turns towards me. It's hard to see what he looks like, but I feel my breath catch in my throat when I finally catch a glimpse of his face.

His hair has turned into a midnight black, and his usually kind, green eyes have turned into a cold purple-blue. But there's no mistaking who it is.

It's Adrien.

Our eyes make contact, and we just stare at each other for a few moments. Suddenly, Adrien… no, Zlo, flashes a smirk at me, showing off his sharpened teeth.

I freeze, a shiver running down my spine. I don't want to admit it, but just that scares me.

I'm shaken out of my stupor when Zlo takes a step back. I'm hardly able to move before Zlo takes a jump off of the side of the building. Before I can move forward to try and catch him, he lands on the next rooftop and continues jumping from building to building.

I quickly follow after him as he leads me away from the center of the city. Our little game of cat and mouse lasts for the next eleven blocks until Zlo jumps into a dark, secluded alleyway. I jump down lightly behind him, landing soundlessly. As I walk up from behind him, without turning around, he calls out to me.

"It's an honor to meet you Ladybug. Honestly, I thought it would take longer for us to meet, but it seems that you have been looking for me too. Plagg must have already told you about me."

He flashes me his smirk again, looking almost feral. I knew this was Zlo, but to hear his voice coming from Adrien's body just made it seem that much more real.

Plagg was right. This is not my kitty.

This is not Adrien.

(A couple of minutes before)

Zlo's POV

I grin as I see the last strands of blonde hair turn black. As soon as the black color reaches the tis of my hair, I let my power surround me. My power comes out in the form of a dark purple mist, clinging to the clothes I'm wearing. The power warps the clothes, changing them.

Once the mist dissipates, I am no longer wearing the distinct clothes of Adrien Agreste. Instead of the stripped black shirt, white overshirt, blue jeans and orange converse, I am wearing a light grey martial arts uniform. The pants hung loose around my legs, but still showed off the muscles I have. The jacket was tied closed with a slightly darker grey martial arts belt.

It was the same uniform that all of the students studying under the sorcerer all those years ago wore.

The only difference was that I know had a mask that covered my eyes. It was a mix between the grey of my uniform and the black of my hair. If you looked closely, you could see a purple-blue shine to it.

"Finally," I purr to myself, "The transformation is almost complete. I just have to defeat Adrien and take complete control this body. All I can do until then is go after Ladybug and take her miraculous to regain all of my powers."

Walking up to the butterfly window, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it opens on its own. I climb onto the ledge and use all of my strength to jump onto the roof of a building 200 meters away.

Moving around like this is bound to get that bug's attention.

I am soon rewarded when I see her also moving along the rooftops, we quickly make eye contact before I start running across the tops of buildings again. I lead her into an abandoned alleyway several blocks away before I finally stop.

Without turning around to look at her, I call out to her.

"It's an honor to meet you Ladybug. Honestly, I thought it would take longer for us to meet, but it seems that you have been looking for me too. Plagg must have already told you about me."

As I turn around, I see her freeze slightly. I mentally chuckle at her reaction.

I eye her, looking for anything that seems special about her that could be a problem to my plans. From what I can see, there is nothing. I look at her face and see that she is eyeing me too, probably still shocked about the new appearance of her partner.

No One's POV

"Why don't you be a good little bug and hand over your miraculous?" Zlo says, bored of the silence that had surrounded the two.

This snapped Marinette out of her trance. She got into a fighting stance, prepared for a fight. She slowly reaches for her magic yoyo, not wanting to catch Zlo's attention. She lifts her head up high and speak with a strong voice.

"I'm not going to hand over my miraculous to anyone, especially you. I won't let it be used for evil."

Zlo's smile slips off of his face, forming a deep frown instead.

"I see. Then I guess I don't have any other choice."

Marinette's eyes widen when Zlo's hands suddenly burst to life with dark purple magic, looking eerily similar to Chat Noir's cataclysm. He lunges at Ladybug, intending to disintegrate her to get to her miraculous.

However, because she was already in a fighting stance and reaching for her yoyo, she was able to pull it out in time and deflect his attack.

Pulling back from each other, Ladybug leaps up to the roof, trying to get into a more open space so she would have more room to fight. Zlo quickly followed her.

As the two jump across the rooftops, sending multiple attacks at each other, they barely noticed the few remaining citizens on the streets pointing towards them.

As they continued to jump along the rooftops of Paris, Zlo noticed that he was quickly becoming fatigued.

 _"_ _It seems that I'm still not at my full strength yet. The mental battle with the boy is preventing me from reaching my full potential."_ Zlo thought to himself. He tried dodging another attack from Ladybug but was to slow and was hit in the gut with her yoyo.

Clutching his stomach with his right hand, Zlo lands on a different building than Ladybug. Looking to the sky, Zlo realizes that the sky had turned darker during their fight.

Looking towards Ladybug, he sees that it wasn't just him that was getting tired. Her breath was coming out in small gasps, but still better than his desperate breaths for air.

Realizing that he wouldn't be winning this fight, Zlo straightened his back and made eye contact with Ladybug again.

"It seems that this time there is no clear winner." Zlo says, he turns around to leave before he glances over his shoulder to look at the hero one last time.

"Until next time, bug." Zlo says before he jumps off of the roof.

Marinette was prepared to continue after him but stopped when he blended into the shadows.

She looked up, finally noticing how late it was. Marinette turned to head home when she heard a noise just in front of her. It sounded like it was coming closer towards her.

Squinting her eyes to get a better look at the figure outline she saw in the distance, she noticed that it had a distinctly familiar cat-like figure.

"Plagg?" She called out before she started walking forward, closing the gap between them faster.

"Plagg, I thought I told you to stay home. It's not safe for you out here by yourself."

"I know." Plagg responded before he looked directly into her eyes, excitement shining in his own green orbs.

"But I think I know of a way for us to get Adrien back!"


	9. The Plan

Marinette's POV

As soon as Plagg said that he might have a way to get Adrien back, I quickly, but gently, grabbed Plagg and held him as I started running home.

When I landed inside of my room, I quickly yelled, "Tikki, spots off!" A red light surrounded me as I turned back into Marinette and Tikki flew out of my earrings. I silently grabbed a cookie out of my bag and handed it to Tikki before I turned to look at Plagg.

"is it true? Do you really have a way to stop Zlo and bring Adrien back?" I asked, desperately hoping for it to be true.

"I think so." He says as he flies over to my desk, picking up the pieces of the broken ring.

"The miraculouses are not just ordinary objects that we chose to inhabit. They were made by the sorcerer that I told you about, so they have magical properties. The sorcerer compiled a book that held all of the secrets of the miraculous, including the information about Zlo. There may be an emergency spell to lock Zlo back inside of the ring." He explains, excitement shining in his eyes.

I smile, Plagg's excitement contagious.

"But," at this, Plagg's ears drop, "the book is missing, and I have no idea where it may be."

When Plagg says this, I feel Tikki poking at my arm. I look down to look at her with a questioning look. She looks at me with a knowing look and my eyes widen when I finally understand what she's trying to tell me. I give her another look, making sure it was okay if I tell Plagg, she just nods her head as her answer.

I look back towards Plagg, his ears are still pointed down and his eyes are downcast. Seeing him looking so downhearted, I knew there was nothing else to be done. We had to tell him.

"Plagg?" I call out to him, almost whispering.

He looks up to me and my heart breaks a little when I see tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

I force myself to swallow around the lump that has formed in my throat.

"We know where the book is."

Plagg's eyes widen considerably at that. He flies right into my face.

"Really!?" He yells, hope showing in every inch of his face.

-Time Skip-

I walked through the front door of the little shop, Tikki and Plagg hiding within my purse. I've been here several times, but I always feel slightly intimidated knowing what lies behind the doors.

"Master Fu?" I call out.

I continue down the hallway before coming to the familiar door leading to Master Fu's room. Pushing the door, it opens to reveal Master Fu sitting at his little table sipping at a cup of tea.

As soon as I close the door, Tikki and Plagg fly out of my purse while Wayzz flies out from wherever he hides.

"Good evening Marinette," Master Fu says, setting his cup down and looks at me.

"It's a little late for a visit, don't you think?" He asks with a kind smile. I give him a smile of my own, although a bit more sheepish.

"I'm sorry Master Fu, but this is an emergency." I say. I nod towards Plagg, who still held the broken ring, having refused to let it go.

He flies slowly towards Master Fu and presents the ring to him. Wayzz's eyes widen obviously knowing what had happened. He looks between the three of us before looking back at Plagg.

"Zlo is free?" He asks.

Plagg nods his head in confirmation.

"He also took control of Chat's body." He says, his eyes travelling back down to the ring.

We all look towards Master Fu to see his reaction. He was gently stroking his goatee with a thoughtful look. After a few minutes of us waiting, he slowly gets up and moves toward a cupboard in one corner of the room. From it, he pulled out a book and brought it back to the table, sitting down again.

"I believe that you are looking for this?" He asks.

We look at the book he brought out and see that it's the spell book that held all the secrets of the miraculous. The kwami all fly to the table and sit around the book while I sit down across from Master Fu.

"I don't know everything about what is going on, but I've taken a look at the book and had Wayzz answer some of my questions that I had when reading the page on the cat miraculous. I'll be able to fix the ring, but it will be more of a challenge to perform the spell to contain Zlo once again." He explained.

Plagg, Tikki and I gave him similar questioning looks, wondering what he meant.

"I'll be able to translate the spell, no problem, but it will be more trouble performing it. I'm not as young as I use to be and going out to fight Zlo while trying to perform the spell will be a challenge."

Plagg looked dejected at hearing this. I looked at him with a sympathetic look. Seeing how sad he was, I became even more determined to get Adrien back.

"Maybe I could do it." I said. Everyone looked at me, surprised.

"What do you mean, Marinette?" Master Fu asked.

"Do I need to know the meaning of the spell, or do I just need to be able to pronounce everything correctly?" I asked.

Master Fu stared at me before looking at the book. Opening to the cat miraculous page, he starts to skim what I assume is the spell and spell process to capture Zlo again. It takes him a couple minutes before he looks up at me again, smiling this time.

"You're right, Marinette. You don't need to know the meaning behind the words, you just have to know what to say and the actions needed." Closing the book, he motions for Plagg to give him the pieces of the ring. Plagg seems to hesitate, holding the pieces closer, before flying closer to Master Fu and placing the ring pieces in his open palm.

"The process to fix the ring may take some time, but while certain ingredients and steps are taking their time to set, I can teach you how to perform the spell needed to free Chat Noir of Zlo's clutches and trap Zlo back inside of the ring." Master Fu says as he makes his way into the back room. I quickly follow him while the three kwamies stay behind, knowing they weren't allowed to know the secrets of the book.

As I was closing the curtain to hide the back room from prying eyes, I swear I hear Plagg muttering something to himself.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm coming to get you."

I smile as I let the curtain flutter close behind me.

-Time Skip-

Plagg's POV

 _I open my eyes to see myself surrounded by an endless black abyss. I don't know how I got here, but I feel like I'm looking for something, or someone. I start to roam around, trying to figure out what it was exactly I was looking for, when I suddenly wander into an entirely white world. I search my new surroundings, trying to see if I could see anything new. When I turn around, what I see causes my blood to run cold and my hair stand on end._

 _I see Adrien and my brother fighting each other. And from the looks of it, Adrien is having trouble keeping up with Zlo._

 _I rush to where they are, trying to reach Adrien before it's too late._

 _Before I could get anywhere close to them, Zlo lunges at Adrien. Time seemed to slow down in that moment._

 _I couldn't do anything as I watched my brother attack Adrien, hitting him directly in the chest with his own twisted version of cataclysm. My eyes widened in horror as I watched Adrien's face shift into one of pure agony. Soon, my kitten starts to crumble into dust, unable to handle the effects of my brother's attack._

 _I cry out in fear._

 _"_ _ADRIIEEEEENN!"_

I wake with a start. If kwamies could sweat, I knew I would be drenched in sweat right now.

I hadn't even realized that I had fallen asleep at some point.

I look around myself to see that we were still at Master Fu's place. I sigh with relief.

"What a horrible nightmare." I mumble to myself, not wanting to wake anyone who could be sleeping.

I get out of the makeshift bed Master Fu and Marinette made for us kwamies. I really appreciate the gesture, but I miss the comfort both Adrien and I feel whenever I sleep in his hair.

I fly to the small window located near the ceiling, the only one in this room. I look out to see that the sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon. I don't know how late I stayed up till, impatient for Master Fu to fix the ring and teach Marinette how to perform the spell. I knew I couldn't have gotten more than three hours of sleep though. It wasn't much, especially for a cat, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, too scared to see the same nightmare as before.

As I sat there waiting for the others to wake up, I thought of all of the fun I've had with my miraculous wielder. I almost regret all of the times I purposely refused to listen to him.

I almost missed it when a silent tear slid down my face.

"Don't worry Adrien," I whispered, "we'll get you back soon. I promise."


	10. Looking for a Clue

Marinette's POV

Even though I stayed up until close to four in the morning, I force myself to wake up before ten. I quickly send my parents a text saying that I had gone out with Alya the night before and accidentally fell asleep at her house. I told them that I would be home some time before dinner, then put my phone back in my back pocket.

Walking out of the back room, I look towards the bedding that Master Fu and I roughly put together before continuing my study of the spell. I notice that there was a lack of a cat-like creature next to Tikki and Wayzz.

I look around the room, trying not to freak out, when I catch a glimpse of him sitting at the only window in the room. I don't know what is shown out of that window, but I know Plagg isn't seeing any of it by the way his eyes were clouded and unfocused.

Deciding that the morose feeling that surrounded him didn't suit him, I calmly walked closer and looked up slightly to look at him.

"Good morning Plagg." I greet him, causing him to jump at the unexpected noise.

He doesn't say anything, just nods his head in acknowledgement.

I smile at him sadly, knowing that he was worried and missed Adrien.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back for sure." I say, trying to encourage him.

He smiles at me and nods slightly, making a small noise of agreement. It's not much, but at least he isn't being stoic anymore.

"It's finished." We hear a voice coming from behind the curtain. Not a moment later, Master Fu walks into the room, holding something between his cupped hands.

I step closer to Master Fu as Plagg flies down to meet us. Master Fu opens his hands to reveal the cat miraculous, all in one piece. There is an immediate reaction with Plagg.

His face breaks out into a huge smile as he zips into Master Fu's hands, grabbing the ring and holding it close to him in a hug. His excitement and happiness caused him to start purring loudly.

It's amusing to see him so excited, but I don't blame him. It's just another step closer to getting Adrien back.

Yawning comes from the makeshift bed on the table in the middle of the room. Plagg's purring must have woken Tikki and Wayzz.

The two kwamies look in our direction and see Plagg still hugging the ring. Seeing this causes them to fully awaken from their tired states. I look at Tikki with a wide smile.

"Are you ready for today?" I ask. She nods her affirmation, which is all I need.

"Tikki, spots on!" I call out the phrase that will transform me into Ladybug. Immediately, Tikki flies into my earrings and a red light surrounds me. As the light travels across my body, a red suit with black spots appear. I swipe my hands across my face, causing a mask to appear over my eyes, masking my identity from civilians.

When the light vanishes, I look to Plagg and smile. He smiles back as I grab the ring from his hands. I gently place the ring in my magical yoyo, which also doubles as a sort of handbag, and head to the back exit. I stop when I see Plagg about to follow me.

"Plagg, you have to stay her. It might not be safe." I try to reason with him.

He pouts but nods his head as Wayzz flies up to him and pats his shoulder in reassurance. Master Fu looks at me before speaking.

"Don't worry Ladybug. You go and save Chat Noir, we'll keep an eye on him."

I nod my head before I rush out of the door. I pull out my yoyo and fling it to the nearest building and use it to swing myself up onto the roof.

I have no clue where Zlo may be, so it would be best if I gathered some information to see if anyone saw where he could have gone. Finding a fairly crowded area, I jump down from the top of the buildings to see what I could find out.

It's no surprise that when I land, people begin to stare, whisper and take pictures. I just ignore it as I walk up to the closest person.

-Time Skip-

No luck.

I had been going around the city asking each person I come across if they knew where Zlo was for around three hours now. Each person's answer was a variation of the same thing, a 'no', then a request for either a picture or an autograph.

With no one having any information, I don't have a single clue as to where I'm supposed to start looking for Zlo.

I'm just about to head back to Master Fu's to come up with a new plan when I see two familiar people across the street.

It's Alya and Nino! And from the way that they're holding hands, it's obvious that they're on a date.

I stop myself from squealing at how cute they are, reminding myself that there was something more important that I had to focus on.

As I'm walking across the street, Nino is the first to notice me. He jabs Alya's side to get her attention. Before she could get mad at him, he points towards me with wide eyes.

Alya looks towards where Nino is pointing with a curious look, but gasps and starts jumping in excitement when she sees me.

I give her a slight wave as I make my way towards them.

"Hi, you're Alya, right? The girl that runs the _Ladyblog_?" I ask her. Of course, I already know this, but I need to pretend that I don't so that I can keep my secret identity a… well, secret.

"Yes! Oh my gosh, I can't believe this! Can I get an interview?" She asks as she turns to pull out her phone.

"Maybe another time." I tell her, pushing her hand away from her phone and trying not to sound dismissive. "I was hoping that you could help me with something, since you're perceptive and can easily find out information." I explain.

Alya becomes even more excited and starts shaking Nino by his arm before she gets her composure back. I smile slightly at her antics.

"Of course! What do you need?"

"Yesterday, there was an… akuma, that Chat and I were fighting. They had dark hair and was wearing a martial arts uniform. They disappeared on us and I was wondering if you had any information on where they may have gone?" I felt slightly guilty knowing that I was lying to my best friend, but I didn't want to cause any panic by saying that Chat was taken control by the evil spirit that was locked away in his miraculous.

Alya takes some time to think about what I asked, even pulling out her phone to see if she took any notes or could find anything on the _Ladyblog_ about it. She looks back at me with a slightly apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is."

My face falls slightly. That means that unless I come up with a new way to find Zlo with Master Fu, I'll have to wait for him to come find me.

"However," This makes me stop in my tracks.

"There was a sighting posted on the _Ladyblog_ of a potential akuma. It says that they were heading east, towards the edge of the city. It's not much, and they may not even be that way anymore, but I hope this helps." She says, looking a bit guilty that she wasn't able to give me an exact location.

"Don't worry," I reassure her, "This is perfect. Thank you so much for your help. I'll make sure to give you that interview you wanted as payment. Maybe I can even convince Chat to come." I say with a wink before grabbing my yoyo.

Before I'm able to leave, I'm stopped by Nino.

"Hey, Ladybug?" He calls out to me. I turn back around to look at him, wondering what it is that he wanted to ask me.

"I was wondering if you could keep an eye out for my bud, Adrien Agreste? I keep calling and leaving messages, but he's not responding and I'm starting to get worried." He says. I could see that he was really scared for Adrien.

"He's a model, right? He might just be busy, but I'll keep an eye out for him, just in case." Again, I hate to lie to one of my best friends, but I know that I made the right choice when I see that he calmed down slightly at my words.

"Thanks Ladybug." He says to me. I give him a slight nod before I swing away, heading in the direction Alya told me about.

I'm going to get my kitty back, one way or another.


	11. Confronting the Enemy

Marinette's POV

I swung around the east side of the city for several minutes before I came across an abandoned building. Some parts of it were run down and falling apart, but there were other parts that looked well taken care of.

Specifically, the butterfly themed window located on the second floor.

"Zlo and Hawkmoth are working together? This isn't good." I whispered to myself, not wanting to alert either villain to my presence.

If both Zlo and Hawkmoth were involved in this, this situation is twice as dangerous as I originally thought. I'll just have to be even more careful.

I circled around the building looking for the exit. Once I found it, I carefully made my way inside, wincing at the creaking sound it made, hoping no one heard it. I walked around, looking for any clues and staying alert and looking out for any possible ambushes or booby-traps.

After a few minutes, I still wasn't being threatened with a weapon, so I figured I was safe. But I still stayed alert, not willing to take any chances.

In one of the back rooms, I found a set of stairs leading to the second floor. As I made my way up, I felt a sensation of fear crawling up my spine. Something, or someone, was up there, most likely waiting for me.

I got into a defensive stance as I continued moving forward, preparing myself for whatever was up there.

I noticed the distinct sound of wings getting louder as I got closer. When I finally made it to the room at the top of the stairs, I paused for a moment, barely taking note of all of the white butterflies, before running to the limp form lying on the ground.

As I made it to the center of the room, I slid onto my knees beside the still body. I gently flipped the person onto their back to see that they were still breathing. Knowing that they were still alive, I took a moment to look at them more closely.

Whoever did this to them did some real damage. I couldn't make out any defining features to identify them. The only thing I could figure out about them was that they were male.

I don't even care why this man is here. All I know is that he was beaten to an inch of his life, and there was no question who did this.

"Zlo." I said, hatred dripping from my voice.

"You called?" A smooth voice called from behind me.

I turn around, my magic yoyo gripped tightly in my hand, and see exactly who I came looking for.

Zlo was standing slightly behind me, the butterfly window creating an eerie spotlight on him. With the single ray of light in the room shining solely on him, it made him look even more intimidating than before.

I slowly stand to my full height and face him, not willing to back down now. I purposefully place myself between Zlo and the unconscious man, shielding him from Zlo.

Zlo glanced slightly at the man behind me, his eyes lighting in recognition.

"Ah, I see you've found him." He said, talking about the man at my feet.

"To be honest, I completely forgot about him."

This made me bristle in anger, knowing that if he had actually killed the man, he wouldn't have cared. He looked back towards me, hands behind his back in a casual manner.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asks calmly, as if finding his hiding spot wasn't a big deal for him.

I glare at him, my grip tightening even more on my yoyo.

"I know all about you, Zlo. And I don't appreciate that you have taken over my partner's body like he was a puppet." He smirks a bit at the choice of words. This only causes my frown to deepen.

"And what are you going to do about it?" He asks, sincerely interested to hear what I have come up with.

Now it's my turn to smirk. I pull the ring out of the compartment of my yoyo and show it to him. I watch with a sense of satisfaction as I see his eyes widen in horror.

"I could always use the same spell that locked you in here all those years ago."

He tries to put on a confident grin, but it looks strained.

"Y-you can't perform the spell. The only book containing the spell has been missing for centuries! Even if it was found, the spell is written in a dead language that can only read by the guardians. There is no way you can perform it yourself!" He says, trying to reassure himself that he was safe from me.

To me, he just sounded desperate.

"Oh really?" I ask, smirking as I took a deep breath.

" _È mìfēngle…_ " I began, hoping that I would be able to get through the whole spell before Zlo tried to stop me.

No such luck.

Realizing that I wasn't bluffing about being able to perform the spell, Zlo charged at me, making a grab for the ring.

I quickly jumped to my right to avoid Zlo. Putting the repaired ring back into my yoyo compartment, I ran to the butterfly window.

Hurrying to open it, I jumped out just before Zlo was able to grab me. I looked behind me to see if Zlo was following. I saw him with a look of fury and slight panic.

Perfect. Now I just need to lead him to a good spot to continue our battle without putting anyone else in danger.

Using my yoyo as transportation, we weaved through buildings and alleyways as I looked for the perfect spot. Finally, I saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance. It was closed today, so no one would be inside. It was perfect. I changed directions, barely dodging an attack from Zlo, before I started to lead him to where I wanted him to be.

With the attacks Zlo and I were sending towards each other, it's no surprise that we drew attention to ourselves. Civilians stopped and pointed to us, no doubt wondering about the new "akuma" and where Chat Noir was.

To my dismay, some of them followed us to try and figure out what was going on, but I had no time to worry about them. They weren't the ones in danger at the moment.

Adrien was.

Swinging to the very top floor of the Eiffel Tower, the same floor that Chat and I battled the Bubbler, I stopped and turned to face my enemy.

Once Zlo landed, he stood and faced me with a vicious scowl, growling at me.

"Listen little girl," he said, only causing me to become irritated, but I hid my irritation. "You have no idea what you are doing. You are no match against me. What can you, a mere child, do against me?"

I knew that there was a possibility that I wouldn't be able to beat him, but I had to try. For Adrien's sake.

"I will beat you Zlo and seal you away again. I'll free my partner from your control!" I yelled as I whipped my yoyo out and charged at Zlo, beginning the deciding battle.


	12. Only Chance at Surviving

Adrien's POV

Zlo and I jumped away from each other after another stalemate. We were both panting and sweating, becoming fatigued from our constant struggle against the other.

We were also both starting to slow down, the wounds we inflicted upon each other starting to take their toll.

Along with the claw marks on my face that I received at the beginning of the battle, I now also had a cut above my left eye, a split lip, and my left leg had a large, diagonal gash that ran from my knee to my calf. My lip had stopped bleeding a while ago, but my leg still had a trickle of blood coming out. It also didn't help that the blood coming from the cut above my eye limited my vision to mainly my right side.

I also had some close calls with Zlo's cataclysm, but I was lucky enough to avoid them. However, my white overshirt wasn't so lucky. It's completely gone, and my black shirt and jeans are starting to gain some rips and tears.

Standing across from me, Zlo stood slightly hunched over. I could tell that the wound to his side was starting to seriously affect his fighting. His left shoulder was hanging almost limply, practically useless after I stabbed it. He had some scratches along his arms and torso, visible from the tears in his clothes that I made with my sword.

We were both tired from our battle, and I didn't know how long before one of us passed out from blood loss or exhaustion.

I suddenly hear Zlo lowly laughing.

"What's so funny?" I ask, truly confused of what was making him laugh.

"Heh, I honestly never expected someone to last this long against me. Especially a kid like you." he says. I only glare at him, not liking being underestimated or being called a kid.

"I'm pleasantly surprised. I actually had fun during our fight. I love a challenge." He purrs. The smile he gives me is enough for me to feel unsettled. I knew that he was planning something.

"To bad it's time to end this." He says. I ponder what he could mean for a split second before he suddenly lunges at me again.

I was too focused on him talking that I didn't notice that he was slowly inching his way to my left, the side that I had trouble seeing out of.

Unable to fully see the attack coming, I quickly lifted my sword up to try and defend myself from his attack.

I was lucky enough to bring my sword up to meet with Zlo's claw-like nails, but he apparently still had more energy left than I did.

Catching me off-guard with his attack, he was able to knock my sword out of my hand, sending it sliding across the ground. My eyes widened as I saw my sword stop at least sixteen feet away.

Looking back at Zlo, he wasn't prepared for me to block his attack, but once he saw that I was defenseless, he lunged at me again. Good thing my time as Chat Noir mad me a fast runner.

Time seemed to slow down as I turned and started running toward my weapon.

I can hear my heart beating and my breath quicken as I reach closer to my sword. I can hear my footsteps echo in the empty void. I could hear Zlo approaching quickly, quicker than I could reach my only weapon.

My only chance at survival.

Only five more feet.

I dive with my arm outstretched to try and reach the sword quicker.

Time seems to go back to its normal pace as I wrap my fingers around the hilt. I turn around in time to see Zlo jumping at me with his cataclysm already activated.

I bring my sword around to try and get a final attack on Zlo.

I know in this moment, whoever finishes their attack first, this fight is going to end, and someone was going to die.

The sound of clothes, skin and muscles being torn through is the last thing to be heard before everything is silent, and the world turns black again.


	13. Final Battle

No One's POV

Ladybug and Zlo meet in the air, yoyo and claws both aimed to bring down the other.

Ladybug was just barely able to dodge Zlo's cataclysm and was able to hit him in the face with her yoyo. However, because she didn't want Adrien to be hurt, her attack wasn't strong enough to push him away, allowing Zlo to knee her in the gut before they landed.

They both turned towards each other, not willing to show their back to the enemy for too long.

Ladybug took this time to think of a plan to stop Zlo long enough for her to perform the spell.

 _"_ _I could use my lucky charm and see what I get, but what if it's something useless. Man, I could really use Chat right now."_ She thought.

She was taken out of her thoughts by the sounds of people and sirens at the bottom of the tower.

Being close to the edge, she quickly looked down to see almost all of Paris gathered at the base of the Eiffel Tower, trying to get a look at the fight between their hero Ladybug and the new enemy. Luckily, they were being held back by the police, preventing them from getting too close.

 _"_ _Thank goodness that the police are here. It would be terrible if someone were to come up here. Then I would have to try and prevent Zlo from using them as a hostage to try and get to me."_ Ladybug thought.

Looking back up, she was just in in time to be able to dodge Zlo's cataclysm.

Grabbing her magical yoyo, Ladybug threw it into the air and called out her special move.

"Lucky Charm!" A bottle covered in a black and red ladybug spotted pattern appeared in the air and fell into Ladybug's hands.

"Cooking oil? What am I supposed to do with this?"

"…" Ladybug's mood dropped slightly when she didn't hear the pun that she had come to expect from her partner.

 _"_ _I really need to get him back. I'm even starting to miss his stupid puns."_

Looking around quickly to see what she could use the cooking oil for, she saw two metal beams, the floor, and the cooking oil glow with a ladybug spotted pattern.

Ladybug's eyes lit up as a plan formed in her head. Knowing what she had to do, she ran towards Zlo.

Surprised by her bold move, Zlo was unable to react quick enough when she dropped down and slid between his legs. Unbeknownst to him, she had opened the bottle of cooking oil and was emptying it beneath him.

As Zlo turned around and started chasing after her, he slipped on the cooking oil. While he was busy trying keep from falling over, Ladybug was tying her yoyo low on the two beams.

Zlo, too preoccupied with staying on his feet, was caught off guard when his foot caught on the string of the yoyo, causing him to trip and fall to the ground.

Ladybug walked up to him and poured the rest of the cooking oil around and on Zlo to keep him from being able to get back up, then threw the bottle away.

"That should keep you busy for a while." Ladybug said. She reached back into the compartment of her yoyo to pull out the ring again, when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Ladybug. Ladybug!" Ladybug turned around to see a familiar black figure flying towards her.

"Plagg!? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Master Fu, where it's safe."

"I snuck out when Master Fu had a customer. I couldn't just sit around and wait for something to happen when my kitten is in trouble." Plagg said, upset that she would even think that he would sit by and watch.

Ladybug's resolve weakened, hearing Plagg call Adrien his kitten. Giving him a small smile, Ladybug responded.

"Alright, just stay back and be careful. I just need to perform the spell, then we'll have Adrien back, but I don't know what else Zlo will try." She said, causing Plagg to smile.

Taking a deep breath and turning back around to face Zlo, who was still trying to get up from the cooking oil, Ladybug held the cat miraculous ring tightly in her fist. Taking a moment to make sure she remembered the spell, she held the ring out and started the incantation.

" _È mìfēngle qǐlái, yīnwèi zài zhè yītiān nǐ_ _shīqùle…"_

Before she was able to completely perform the spell, Zlo was finally able to get up and started charging toward her, still slipping slightly on the cooking oil.

Focusing on the spell, not wanting to stop, Ladybug was barely able to dodge Zlo's desperate attack on time.

Zlo, still covered in cooking oil, was unable to stop his attack, causing him to slide across the floor.

And right off of the Eiffel Tower.

Plagg was the first to notice and darted away from Ladybug's side and started flying after Zlo. He could only hope he made it to Adrien in time for him to transform.

Ladybug, also seeing Zlo fly off the edge of the Eiffel Tower, quickly tried to finish the spell.

" _nǐ de fāngshì"_ She said, thrusting the ring forward, completing the spell.

Unknown to either of them, Zlo's eyes had dimmed as he closed them just a second before she finished the spell.

Purple-blue mist surrounded Zlo, causing his features to change. His sharp teeth shortened back into normal human teeth while his dark hair lightened into a bright blonde color. His martial arts uniform morphed back into the distinct stripped black shirt, blue jeans, orange converse and white overshirt. When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer a purple-blue, but a shining emerald green.

Adrien Agreste was back.

The mist flowed through the air and traveled into the ring, sealing Zlo's spirit once again.

Once the last of the mist was concealed within the ring, Ladybug leapt off of the tower to try and save her partner.

Plagg, who was much closer to Adrien than she was, had noticed when Adrien's eyes opened, revealing the brilliant green eyes of his best friend.

He flew faster, rushing to try and get to Adrien in time. Adrien, meanwhile, was trying to slow his fall by laying out flat so that Plagg could reach him. However, he angled his body just enough for it to fly sideways, causing his body to slam into the metal structure of the Eiffel Tower.

A look of pain consumed his features as a pained scream left his lungs and filled the surrounding area before his eyes closed once again.

Ladybug saw all this happening, and as she was finally within distance, she swung her yoyo towards Adrien and caught him by the waist. The screams of the Parisians down below and the panicked voice of the cat kwami were ringing in her ears.

Pulling Adrien towards her, once she was sure she had a good hold on his limp body, Ladybug swung her yoyo out again so that it caught onto a beam of the Eiffel Tower and landed the two of them on the city streets below.


	14. The End?

No One's POV

Ignoring all the people that started to crowd her and ask her questions, Ladybug turned Adrien over and rested him in her lap.

Seeing how hurt he was, she started to tear up, but blinked away her tears, trying to be strong for the panicking citizens around her.

She only looked up when she heard two voices making their way through the crowd and closer to her.

Two familiar figures she saw not even an hour ago broke away from the crowd, racing towards her.

Nino and Alya.

She noticed that Alya had her phone out but was not recording, more worried about her friend than gaining information for the _Ladyblog_.

Nino rushed away from Alya's side, kneeling next to Adrien instead.

"Adrien, dude! Please speak to me!" He cried out.

"Is he alright?" Alya asked. She stood back, almost too scared to come any closer to her injured friend.

"Adrien!" Plagg yelled as he finally made it to his miraculous holder's side.

Both Nino and Alya were startled by the small, flying cat. They stared at him for a moment before simultaneously looking back towards Adrien, thinking the same thing.

"No way." Nino whispered.

"Adrien… he's Chat Noir?" Alya asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

Ladybug began to panic slightly when she heard similar whispers floating through the crowd.

 _"_ _What should I do? Everyone knows Adrien's secret. With everyone wanting answers, I probably won't be able to get him out of here in time. He needs a hospital, and quick. What should I do?"_ Ladybug thought to herself, almost breaking down from how worried and stressed she was. She was so busy trying to figure out what to do that she almost missed a small tugging on her arm.

Looking down, she saw Plagg looking at her with small tears in his eyes.

"There's a way for us to help him" He said, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"What?"

"There's a way for us to help him." He repeated.

"It's a special power called _Miraculous Super Cure_ that's used to heal a miraculous holder from injury that wasn't caused by an akuma. It can only be used once by each Ladybug, but it will also erase the memories of everyone that knows their identity. However, you'll also lose your memories, and there's only a five percent chance that it will be affective."

Ladybug thought it over for only a second before making her decision.

"If it gives us a chance to save him, I'll gladly forget who's under the mask." She said as she carefully moved Adrien off of her lap and stood up.

Grabbing the cooking oil bottle form where it landed when she threw it, she tossed it in the air.

" _Miraculous Super Cure_!" She called out, praying that it would work.

As usual, thousands of magical ladybugs were released from the _lucky charm_ object and flew around the city, fixing any damage that was caused. However, instead of red, the ladybug's glowed a light blue color.

As the small ladybugs disappeared, everyone looked around, confused as to what was going on.

Ladybug also looked around, blinking in confusion, until she spotted Adrien on the ground, injured.

Frozen from shock, the memories of her fight with Zlo came back to her mind. She couldn't remember what happened to Chat after she sealed Zlo away, or why Adrien was hurt so badly, but she was shaken out of her stupor when she heard a scream from Alya, pointing at Adrien's still form.

She picked Adrien up bridal style and swung her yoyo onto a nearby building. Ignoring the calls of concern behind her from the citizens of Paris, she took Adrien to the nearest hospital that she could find.

-Time Skip-

Plagg's POV

After Ladybug took Adrien to the hospital, I went back to the Eiffel Tower to retrieve the cat miraculous ring. I knew Adrien would want to put it back on once he woke up.

I then quickly flew to the hospital where Adrien was put into surgery. I had to hide to avoid being seen by any staff. I was hiding underneath the waiting room seats when all of Adrien's classmates came running in, demanding to know what happened and if he was alright.

Nathalie and the Gorilla arrived two and a half hours later, Nathalie informing everyone that Gabriel Agreste wouldn't be able to make it because he was in an "accident".

I didn't really believe her, but I was more worried about my kitten than the reason his father wasn't here.

It was almost another four hours later that the surgeon finally came out, asking for the family of Adrien Agreste. Everyone stood up, many being shaken awake after having fallen asleep. I had to stop myself from flying out of my hiding spot.

"It was a bit touch and go for a while there. His ribs were broken, and one of them had punctured a lung. Another had nicked his liver, causing internal bleeding. We were able to stop the bleeding and fix his ribs so that they won't cause any lasting damage or discomfort. His left arm was broken, and his shoulder had been dislocated. We put his arm in a cast, but since it wasn't a clean break, it will be a few months before we can take it off. He has some severe bruising over a great deal of his body, so it will take some time to heal. What we're most worried about is his head. He hit it pretty hard, giving him a major concussion that will cause some swelling. It's most likely that he'll slip into a coma, and we're not sure when he'll wake up, if he ever will. I'm sorry." The doctor said without any interruptions.

After he was finished speaking, everyone was silent, trying to process what they were just told. I was the same.

After a few tense moments, Nathalie stepped forward and shook the doctor's hand, thanking him for his help. He nodded in acknowledgement and led Nathalie and the Gorilla to Adrien's room.

Adrien's classmates were told that visiting hours were over, so they would have to wait until tomorrow to visit Adrien. They hesitated before they made their way out of the hospital doors, promising themselves that they would come tomorrow.

I quietly flew out of my hiding spot and followed the doctor to Adrien's room.

All of this happened three months ago.

Adrien still laid in his hospital bed, not showing any signs of waking up.

I know I shouldn't stay and I'm risking being caught because of it, but I just can't leave him. So, I hide underneath his pillow whenever someone comes into his hospital room and come out to watch over him when no one is there.

I speak to him whenever we're alone, hoping that he can still hear me.

Although I can't be seen, I'm happy when people come to visit him. I know it would make Adrien happy to know that so many people care about him.

Everyone from his class kept their promise to keep visiting him, even Nathalie and the Gorilla come to see him almost every day.

The three that come to see him the most are Nino, Alya, and Marinette. His closest friends.

They always come whenever they have free time. I won't admit it out loud, but I always feel bad for them when I see the sad looks in their eyes when they see Adrien still lying motionless on the bed.

I just hope my kitten will wake up soon.

Marinette's POV

Alya, Nino and I walk up to the front desk. The receptionist looks up at us and smiles before checking us in. She doesn't need to ask who we're seeing, and we don't need to ask for a room number. We've visited enough times to memorize it by now.

We step away from the front desk and move towards the elevator. Pressing the button, we wait silently for the elevator to arrive. It just doesn't feel right to talk much in a place that holds so much depressing emotions.

Hospitals have never bothered me, but that was before someone I cared about was physically trapped within its walls and mentally trapped within his own mind.

I jumped slightly as the elevator opened with a _ding_. We hurried inside before the doors could close on us. I quietly pushed the button that lead to the third floor.

I glanced at Nino and Alya, both staring blankly at the elevator doors. No longer able to stand the silence, I turned to face them.

"I bet that Adrien can't wait to go back to school again." I say with a small, strained smile.

It seems to work, Nino and Alya chuckling slightly, knowing that only Adrien would be excited to go back to school.

The elevator finally reaches the third floor and we step out, turning to the left. Muscle memory led us to where we want to go. We stop when we reach a certain room number.

Room 313. Adrien's room.

We push open the door, and our smiles from earlier fall. Adrien is still lying in the bed, not moving except for the slight rise and fall of his chest.

It's hard to believe that he looks better than when he first was put in here. His bruising was completely healed, leaving his skin clear and pale and the cast on his arm is set to be taken off later this week. He also started to breathe on his own a few days ago, so they were able to take the tubes out of his nose and throat. They did put an oxygen mask on him though, just in case.

However, even with all of these improvements, he Adrien was still in a coma. Because of this, he still needed to be hooked up to an IV, to give him nutrients, and a heart monitor. There were a few more machines, but I didn't know what they were for, other than to keep Adrien alive.

We step into the room, greeted by the steady beeping from the heart monitor.

I grab a chair and drag it over to the right side of the bed, Nino and Alya doing the same.

We all talk to him, hoping that he could hear us and would wake up, if to just to stop us from worrying.

We talk about everything, from how school is going to the new drama caused by Chloe. We even decide to get some homework done, explaining to a quiet Adrien what we are learning. We always avoid talking about how Adrien's father hardly visits, if ever.

I don't know how long we talk for, but it's soon time for us to start heading home.

I bend down to reach my backpack when I notice something move from the corner of my eye. It was small, but I'm sure I saw it.

Adrien's finger twitched.

Alya and Nino notice that I had stopped moving and come over to my side. I ignore them as I boldly grab Adrien's hand, squeezing it slightly, careful not to move the heart monitor clip from his finger.

"Adrien?" I ask, hoping to get a reaction out of him.

This time, I can feel his fingers twitch around mine.

I hear Alya and Nino gasp behind me. They must have seen the small movement too. Alya moves to stand next to me, and Nino rushes to the other side of the bed.

"Adrien. Dude, can you hear me?" Nino asks.

The three of us start calling his name. His fingers continues to twitch before I feel his hand squeeze mine back. It was weak, but it was something. At the same time, his heart monitor begins to beep faster. The three of us smile at each other when we notice Adrien's eyes start to flutter.

"I think he's waking up. I'll go get a nurse." Alya says, as she leaves the room.

Nino grabs Adrien's other hand, the one I'm not currently holding. We wait patiently for him to finally open his eyes, squeezing his hands to encourage him.

Slowly, his green eyes open, looking around at his surroundings. He looks dazed, but he's finally awake!

No One's POV

"Adrien!" Marinette and Nino cry out, tears of joy in their eyes, as they see their friend's eyes open.

Adrien looks around confused, before he looks to his friends.

"Where am I?" He asks.

"You're in the hospital. Man, I'm so glad you're finally awake." Nino says.

Just then, Alya comes running in with a nurse close behind her.

"Adrien! You're awake. I'm so glad." Alya says, as she runs up next to Marinette, leaning against her slightly to get closer.

Adrien just looks at them, uncomprehendingly. What he says next causes everyone to be paralyzed with shock.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

 _It was dark and silent. The only noise heard was the dripping of blood on the floor, matching the steps of the lone figure. The figure held an arm against their stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. They look out into the darkness with a determined glare._

 _"_ _You may have won the battle, but I will win this war. I may be hurt, but so are you. I'll take my time to recover my strength and heal my wounds. And when I come back, I will kill you. Better watch you're back, Adrien and Marinette." He said, his purple-blue eyes shining in the darkness._


End file.
